


At The Hands Of The King

by katzengefluster



Category: iKON (Korea Band)
Genre: M/M, Trojan War AU, i will add other people as they come into the story, this will eventually get pretty dark and angsty so i will add warnings and tags when they apply, this will include all of ikon, yes you read that right the ikons back in ancient greece
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-05-12 18:02:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19234312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katzengefluster/pseuds/katzengefluster
Summary: In the year 1250 BCE, Kim Hanbin, youngest captain of the Trojan army, brings war with Greece to his homeland. Menelaus, the King of Sparta who has a personal mission of vengeance against the Trojan, abducts Hanbin right off the field of battle, dragging him back to Sparta as a slave. With a depleted army, the Trojan's best hope at retrieving their beloved son lies in Kim Jiwon, famed army general, who seeks to infiltrate Sparta with a small crew of elite soldiers. But the Spartan King is cruel, and there is only so much that a man can withstand before he breaks.





	1. Prologue: When Fractured Souls Meet Again

**Author's Note:**

> I am adapting this story from something that I wrote many years ago for the Troy fandom. I am a sucker for ancient Greece/Rome, and I've been wanting to write the iKONs an AU set during that time ever since I got into the fandom. I recently realized that this story would work perfectly for that.
> 
> For the sake of the story, I'm saying that the city of Troy was settled by Korean explorers who integrated themselves into the surrounding countries and cultures. Work with me here, the plot's worth it, I promise. ;)
> 
> If you're familiar with the story of the Trojan War, here are the main Trojan characters and their counterparts (the Greeks are all staying as their real Greek personas; only people changing are the Trojans):
> 
> King Priam: Jiyong  
> Hector: Jiwon   
> Paris: Hanbin  
> Helen: Hayi
> 
> Double B are not Jiyong's sons, nor are they brothers. Hanbin and Hayi are also not lovers. You'll see their connection right away. I have adjusted all the relationships, and will explain how they work in the story. As mentioned in the tags, all 7 will be in this, but I don't like to tag people until they actually show up in the story. Also, this won't actually be the Trojan War. It'll start out the same way that war started, but something happens that averts the war, and that will be the focus of this story.
> 
> I have 10 chapters of the original story already written, but I'll have to rewrite them for the new characters. So it shouldn't really take me too long, hopefully. Rewrites go much quicker than rough drafts. :)
> 
> I'd also like to recommend some music to listen to for this! This is all stuff I listen to while I write this story. :)
> 
> [Serpentine by Solace](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijm5fsRsRh8): pretty much any song by Solace is great, when I wrote the original fic Solace was the only thing I listened to. They're totally worth it, mesmerizing and captivating and gorgeous. But Serpentine is my #1 song from them. Please listen to it! ♥♥♥
> 
> [Through Ancient Eyes mixtape by Samaya](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anlSncrJP-8): honestly everything on the Shivelight channel is top notch perfection. But my favourites are always the Samaya mixtapes, and this one is my particular favourite. ♥♥♥
> 
> [Dance of the Bacchantes by Dead Can Dance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgHSGPBVpQE): DCD are actually my favourite band of all time, and they have the most amazing discography. Please give them a listen they are from an entirely different world. I couldn't possibly live without their music. ♥♥♥
> 
> Go read and enjoy now. ♥

_He’s dreaming of the beach again, of his last day with her. Sixteen years ago they ran together along the shore, eight years old, playing under the warm light of the sun. They’d come with their parents, master merchants, to trade their wares. Their father oversaw the merchant trade in Troy, operated three caravans by land and two ships by sea. They were a growing enterprise, one he would be learning one day._ _  
_ _  
_ _But as children they ran along the sand, skipping through the gently lapping waves at the edge of the Aegean. He wanted to wade our further into the water, but she tried to hold him back, afraid of the sea. He held her hand and pulled, told her not to be scared. Promised he would protect her._ _  
_ _  
_ _They’d always complemented one another, filling each other’s gaps, the way only twins can do. She’s afraid of the water, but he’s afraid of heights, the same way that she hates lemons but he hates olives. Whatever one likes, the other detests. They’ve worked as a team that way for all their childhood, completed every task before them only by remaining at each other’s side._ _  
_ _  
_ _But his dream quickly becomes the nightmare he remembers. He leads her into waist-deep water, laughing when she shrieks, but promising that he’ll never let her go. She smiles at him, finally trusts him, but when he looks away again he’s suddenly jerked to the side, falling face first into the water. He hears her scream but he can’t get to her, he’s flailing in the water, as though he’s being held down by some unseen force._ _  
_ _  
_ _He finally gets to his feet again, spluttering, and sees her hand waving above the water, far away from him, and he calls for her, screams for her, and he hears her scream back to him. But he can’t get to her, he can’t save her. He’s rooted to the spot, water crashing against his face, feet stuck in the sand, and he hears her scream again. He prays to the Gods to save her, but all he hears in return is guttural laughter, like he’s been cursed for dragging her into danger._ _  
_ _  
_ _The Gods whisper in his ear, so many voices forming as one._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Forget what you’ve seen today, boy. Forget.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _But he can’t forget. He dreams of her all the time, mourns for her each morning. They share a soul, the two of them, they’re two halves of one whole person, they can’t possibly be separated. He’ll never forget her, never stop thinking about her, not for as long as he lives._   
  
“Hayi…”   
  
A hand grabs his shoulder and shakes, and he hears the same voice in his ear. “Hey, wake up.”   
  
He jerks up and pulls away, eyes flitting around wildly, confused that he’s not standing in the Aegean Sea. Instead he’s inside a small bedroom, and he can make out shapes by the light of the moon outside, shining in through the window. There’s a man sitting up next to him.   
  
“Jiwon,” he says with a shaky breath, his sense returning to him. He can feel his heart rate returning to normal after beating quickly.   
  
Jiwon moves closer and pulls him in against his chest, a hand brushing over his cheek. “You were dreaming about her again, weren’t you?”   
  
Hanbin wraps his arms around Jiwon’s torso, resting his face on his partner’s chest, listening to his heart beat. It’s slow and soothing. “No matter how many times I offer tribute, how many prayers, the dream never stops. It’s been sixteen years, Jiwon, and she keeps haunting me. I don’t want to let her go, but I can’t keep going like this.”   
  
Jiwon holds him tightly, kisses the top of his head and rubs his back, hushes soothingly against his ear. Hanbin is grateful that Jiwon has never chided him for the continued interruptions to their nights. Instead he’s there every time Hanbin wakes up crying for his dead twin sister. Well, he assumes she’s dead, because they never managed to recover her body from the sea.   
  
When he was a child he’d told everyone who would listen that she was still alive, because they were twins, and if she were dead, he’d know it. But no one ever believed him, until eventually he stopped saying it, stopped asking. But he knows better. Even though all the evidence points to her having died, he still feels her in his heart, still feels her presence, like a soft touch on his arm. He wonders sometimes if she isn’t still out there, waiting to be found. Waiting for him.   
  
His family tells him it’s simply a guilty conscience. They tell him that his brain refuses to accept responsibility for his own actions, for pulling her out into the water, when they clearly should have remained on shore. All these years later, he wonders if they’re right? He wants to believe that she lives, but at the same time, he wants to sleep through a full night without being haunted.   
  
“Stop thinking and go back to sleep, we have a long journey ahead of us starting tomorrow. I need you focused.” Jiwon lays back down and Hanbin shifts back into his arms and smiles when Jiwon softly kisses his forehead.   
  
“I’m sorry.” He knows he doesn’t have to keep apologizing, but he can’t stop the words. Wonders if they’re even for Jiwon, or if they’re for Hayi.   
  
“Don’t apologize. Just go back to sleep.” Jiwon’s voice is soft and warm and his arms are tight, and Hanbin drifts off to sleep again, no further thoughts of his sister. At least not for tonight.   
  
Two weeks later finds them on their final night in Greece, enjoying the hospitality of the Spartan king Menelaus. They’ve spent the past week trading along the coastal areas, and have come to Sparta to trade and discuss agreements with the Spartan king. It’s a huge honour, having been hand selected by their own king for the task. They’ve both met Menelaus previously, one year ago when Troy hosted a small party of Spartans. The visit now is to strengthen those bonds of friendship and familiarity.   
  
They’d spent the afternoon hunting wild boar, where the largest kill had gone to Hanbin, courtesy of his proficiency with the bow. After a trip to the baths where they’d drank wine in the company of a few Greek women, they were now set to dine on the spoils of their hunting party.   
  
Menelaus stands up suddenly, his cheeks already flushed from the wine, and yells out to them. “Ah, my honoured guests! Finally, my beautiful wife makes her appearance!” He gestures to a woman who appears before them, dark eyes framed by glossy locks of dark brown hair. “She’s one of your people, actually, presented to me for marriage by our most prosperous fishing village. They claimed her as Thalassa herself, goddess of the sea.”   
  
Hanbin can’t tear his eyes away from her, because the woman who stands before him is not the embodiment of some Greek goddess. It’s his sister. It’s Hayi.   
  
He knows it in his gut the second he sees her face, even though it’s been sixteen years and they’ve both grown from children into adulthood. His breath catches in his throat and he feels an overwhelming urge to drive his sword into every Greek in the room. How has she been here this entire time? How has she been so hidden in plain view? He pinches himself to stay calm, averts his eyes at the very second she looks at him, afraid that she’ll make a scene (but equally afraid that she won’t recognize him).   
  
Halfway through the meal Jiwon nudges his arm, leaning over to whisper against his ear. “King’s wife can’t keep her eyes off of you,” Jiwon says teasingly, “she’s been staring at you all throughout dinner. Guess she misses her own kind, huh?”   
  
Hanbin looks up then and their eyes meet across the table, and he’s certain that she knows it’s him. Their souls are meeting again, sixteen years later, clambering to reform as one after a forced separation. But he turns to Jiwon and tries to play it cool.   
  
“You’re not jealous, are you?” He asks teasingly, tries to remember that he can’t act rashly. They are guests in the Spartan king’s palace. All he can afford to feel is relief that he’s found her again. Relief that she’s alive.   
  
“Maybe just a little, if she is the Greek’s sea goddess,” Jiwon teases back. “I just hope our host doesn’t notice. Even if she is one of ours, I don’t think he’d take too kindly.”   
  
Hanbin reminds himself that Jiwon is right. Menelaus is known to be a jealous and possessive man. He can’t risk angering the king after he’s imbibed so much wine already. The timing is poor. “I wonder where she’s from?” He asks, curious as to what they’ve given her for a story. Since their people settled in Troy two centuries ago, they’ve integrated themselves into the surrounding countries, and there are pockets of Trojan Koreans living among the different Greek cities. Did she wash up on the shore of some settlement after being carried out by the tides? How hard did they look for her?   
  
“I wouldn’t go asking if I were you,” Jiwon replies, and suddenly they’re both drawn into a conversation with the Spartan king. Hanbin tries to keep his eyes from wandering, but he can’t help himself, needing constant reassurance that she’s here, in front of him and very much alive.   
  
He pretends to drink the wine that’s poured into his glass, but he wants to be aware tonight. Needs to find some way to talk to her. When Jiwon and Menelaus engage in a loud conversation Hanbin excuses himself from the table in search of a bathroom (not really, but it’s his excuse), and he makes eye contact with her first, hoping she’ll follow him. He waits in the shadows at the end of the hall for an agonizingly long stretch of time before she finally rounds the corner, and when he steps out into the moonlight and their eyes meet she runs to him, and he catches her in his arms, pulling her back into the shadows.   
  
“Everyone told me you were dead,” he whispers into her ear.   
  
“Why would they say that?” She asks, looking up at him with tears in her eyes at their reunion.   
  
“You were swept out to sea,” he replies, barely able to see her clearly through his own tears, “we never recovered your body.”   
  
She’s silent for a moment and the expression on her face changes so drastically that Hanbin feels wary of whatever she’s about to say. “I wasn’t swept out to sea, Hanbin.”   
  
He’s not expecting the answer, and doesn’t know what to say at first. “What do you mean? Of course you were, I felt the tides take you myself, you were ripped out of my hold. It physically knocked me over.”   
  
She shakes her head. “No. Don’t you remember? I was taken, two men followed us, and when we were far away enough from the ship’s crew, they took me.”   
  
It feels like the blood in his veins freezes suddenly, and he hears the voice in his head again, the Gods speaking to him, he remembers— _forget what you’ve seen today, boy. Forget._   
  
“Hanbin?” She asks, her voice distraught, “how can you not remember that?”   
  
“Then why would everyone say that you died? Why do they say you were lost to the Aegean?” She doesn’t answer, and he can’t bear to contemplate the thought. It’s too painful to think of possibilities that perhaps the entire thing was just covered up. But why?   
  
“We can leave that in the past,” she replies, “there’s no sense in asking about it now. I always knew it in my heart that you'd find me. I’ve felt so alone without you.”   
  
“So have I,” he replies in a whisper, and he knows now what he has to do. He can’t just leave her here, not now. She belongs with him, back home, with her own people. “I’m bringing you back with me,” he tells her in a whisper, holds her face in his hands and looks her in the eyes.   
  
“How? Menelaus, he’s very,” she falters in her words, like she doesn’t want to say it, “he won’t just let me go. He truly believes that I'm Thalassa. Ever since he’s married me, Sparta has prospered like never before. He believes that I'm a blessing to his people. He won’t let me go.”   
  
“I don’t care what he won’t allow, I’m not here to ask his permission,” he replies, his gaze hardening, “I’m here to bring you home, where you belong. Do you want that?”   
  
She doesn’t answer right away, just focuses on him, focuses on the spark of hope that lights in her chest at his promise. She’s been dreaming of escape, of at least returning to the countryside village where she grew up among the Greeks. Anywhere out of the palace. Away from her husband, a marriage she never wanted and never agreed to.   
  
“Hayi? If it’s your wish to stay here, tell me, and I'll stay with you. Even if I have to give up everything, and live as a beggar on the streets, I'd do that just to be near you.”   
  
She knows he means it, and she could never allow him to sacrifice what he has. “No, Hanbin. I want to leave. I want you to bring me back home, but I’m terrified of what could happen. It would start a war with Greece. You know that.”   
  
“You’re worth starting a war over,” he replies, and he means every word of it.   
  
“That’s easy for you to say, but what of everyone else? What of our people, who have no ties to me, who would become casualties? How do we condemn them to that fate?”   
  
“The Gods brought me to you for a reason, didn’t they?” He asks, and she nods. If he wasn’t meant to find her and bring her back, they never would have met.   
  
“I suppose you’re right. Maybe it’s not for us to worry about. If I wasn't meant to leave, the Gods wouldn't give me an escape route. But how do we do it? I can’t just walk onto your ship, someone would see me.”   
  
“No, you can’t. Meet me tomorrow morning, early, when it’s still dark. Come down to the dock, disguised. I’ll be waiting for you, I’ll smuggle you onto the ship somehow, no one will see you. Not until we’re on the water and too far to turn back. I won’t let anyone talk us out of this. I can’t. I owe you a safe return after letting you be taken.”   
  
She shakes her head, settling her hands on his arms. “We were children, Hanbin, there was nothing you could have done.”   
  
“I could have remembered. I could have told everyone that you were taken, instead of saying that the sea had carried you away.”   
  
“How do you know that you weren’t saying that to begin with? Maybe,” she falters again, and tears slip out of her eyes, “maybe you were made to change your story. Or maybe you were told that you remembered wrong, that you were guilty about putting me in danger, so you fabricated another story? We don’t know what might have happened. Maybe those men never followed us by mere accident.”   
  
He shakes at the mere idea of this having been set up. Who would do it? Why? “Regardless, I’ve been suffocated by my own guilt ever since that day. Finally I have a chance at freedom, and I'll take it. For the both of us.” He kisses her cheeks before stepping away. “Meet me before dawn, tomorrow morning. Don’t be seen.”   
  
She nods and watches as he leaves back for the dining hall. She heads for the stairs, to retire to her chamber for one final night in Sparta. One final night sharing a bed with her monstrous husband. At least he’ll be too drunk to notice anything, if he even makes it to their shared room.   


* * *

  
They’re halfway back to Troy when Hanbin finally decides it’s time to come clean to Jiwon. He’s kept his sister hidden in the cargo hold, inside a large wicker basket that’s supposed to contain fabrics. He sneaks down to see her when he can, brings her food and wine. He can’t chance anyone finding her, though, so she stays hidden when he’s not there. But he wants to let her out of her hiding spot.   
  
“I have something that I need to show you,” he tells Jiwon in the later afternoon on their second day at sea, and takes his hand to lead him down to the cargo hold. Hanbin’s afraid of showing him, afraid of ruining the past five years. He and Jiwon met when they’d been selected for admission to train with the King’s private unit upon completing their military recruitments at the top of their classes. The Trojan army is full of lovers, it’s encouraged even, with the thought that all members would fight harder knowing that the back they’re protecting is the one they sleep next to at night.   
  
Hanbin came from a wealthy merchant family, related to the royals, cousins with the current king, while Jiwon came from a farming family who owned land outside the city walls, and they’d fallen into one another’s arms immediately at the end of their first week of training, drunk on wine. They fit together, despite their completely different lives. They’ve risen quickly through the ranks together, their personalities fitting their titles.   
  
Jiwon’s proficiency with the sword is unrivalled in all of Troy, he is acknowledged as their best warrior. The men underneath him revel in him for this reason, so he was an easy choice for promotion to general. He runs his troops directly underneath the commander, and oversees the captains. He lives for his duty, takes pride in his quick ascension. He leads many men much older, but his confidence and skills are never called into question, and they follow his lead with welcome acceptance.   
  
Hanbin, having been raised in rich luxury, is not only acknowledged as Troy’s finest archer, but also as it’s finest horseman. He commands the elite horse brigade, soldiers trained both with the bow and with spears. He is loved by his troops, his natural charisma earning him the respect of even his most seasoned soldiers.   
  
But it is not only the soldiers who hold them in high esteem, but also their higher ups. Army general Dong Youngbae personally selected both of them for their promotions, and they have both received commendations from the king himself.   
  
He’s putting all of that at stake now, putting family before honour and duty. It might be considered treason when he returns home, but he’ll cut down anyone who tries to keep him from protecting his sister. They’ve been separated for too long.   
  
They’re alone in the cargo hold, or so Jiwon thinks, until Hanbin stands before a large wicker basket, and Jiwon can tell by the look on his face that he’s done something. He’s seemed off ever since dinner two nights before, hasn’t seemed himself. Jiwon has a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. But he waits for Hanbin to speak.   
  
Instead of speaking, Hanbin removes the lid of the basket, and a second later a woman stands up, and Jiwon swears he can feel a hand tightening around his very heart at the sight of her, he can barely breathe.   
  
“What have you done?” He gasps out loud, staring between Hanbin and Thalassa, the Spartan queen.   
  
“This is her, Jiwon,” Hanbin says pleadingly, “this is my sister.”   
  
Jiwon shakes his head, not willing to believe it. How can it be possible? By all accounts she died at sea, perished in the strong current. “That’s not possible.”   
  
“It is possible,” she says, stepping out of the basket, “those accounts are lies—”   
  
“But _you_ said that’s what happened!” Jiwon counters, looking at Hanbin, “you dream about it every night, you see it happen again!”   
  
Hanbin meets his eyes with a pleading expression. “I was a child, Jiwon, my memories might not be accurate.”   
  
“I was abducted, I never got lost in a current. Two Greek men followed us away as we played along the shore, and when no one could see us, one of them took me and carried me away.”   
  
“It makes sense, Jiwon,” Hanbin says, “remember what I tell you, about the voice?”   
  
“You mean when the Gods spoke to you—”   
  
Hanbin shakes his head and cuts him off. “It wasn’t the Gods! Why would they want me to forget my sister being pulled into the waves? It doesn’t make sense, you know that. It was the other man, holding me under the water, threatening me to forget the abduction, to forget—”   
  
“NO! I can’t believe you’d risk this!” Jiwon interrupts, betrayed and angry at Hanbin’s rash decision. “How could you do this behind my back? Sneak her onto my ship? Without discussing it with me?”   
  
Hanbin regards him with a somber expression. “Because I knew you’d say no.”   
  
“You’d risk all our lives for this woman?” Jiwon asks, still unable to comes to grips with her identity.   
  
“She’s my twin, Jiwon! Half of my soul!”   
  
The words hit Jiwon like a punch in the gut, he feels like all the air has been sucked out of him. “She’s more important than all of us?”   
  
Hanbin doesn’t think before answering, doesn’t hear the question that really pulls at Jiwon’s heart. “Yes,” he replies, “Yes, she is more important than the entirety of Troy. At least to me.”   
  
Jiwon’s heart crushes at the words. He can’t look at them, can’t bear the sight of them next to each other. Has the past five years meant nothing to Hanbin? To be so casually swept aside? For something he can’t even prove?   
  
He’s infuriated with him. “We’re turning back. She is not coming to Troy.”   
  
“Please, no,” she begs him, “he’ll kill me if you bring me back, he’ll kill me for leaving—”   
  
“He will not!” Jiwon angrily retorts, “all of Sparta thinks you’re a goddess! He won’t lay a finger on you.”   
  
“He’s lain more than fingers on me already, against my will. Does that count for nothing?” She fires back.   
  
Jiwon looks away, his expression and tone cold. “Not to me, it doesn’t. Your marriage is none of my concern.”   
  
“You’re not taking her back,” Hanbin says, “I won’t let you.”   
  
“You have no business telling me what I won’t do,” Jiwon counters, pained eyes fixing on his lover. "I outrank you."   
  
“He will never touch her again,” Hanbin says, “not while I live.”   
  
“What do you want me to do?” Jiwon asks, feeling lost. “If we bring her back to Troy, if Menelaus finds out what you’ve done, the Greeks will come for us, they will raze Troy to the ground!”   
  
“Then let them come!” Hanbin replies with all the fury he can muster. “Troy has never fallen, we're strong. I'll risk every life for hers.”   
  
“Even mine?” Jiwon finally asks, and it’s like the words suddenly resonate in Hanbin’s brain, and his composure changes. _Well,_ Jiwon thinks, _at least your feelings are still there buried somewhere. At least I haven’t completely lost the man I love._   
  
“I'm sorry I didn’t tell you,” Hanbin says, “but you have to understand my position. Sixteen years I’ve spent, thinking that I killed my sister. Because I brought her out into the water, and I kept us running down the beach, far from everyone. Sixteen years, Jiwon, of trying to find peace with losing half of myself.”   
  
“I know,” Jiwon replies, “haven’t I been there for the last five of them? Haven’t I been there, by your side, your comfort? You think I don’t understand how the loss affected you?”   
  
Hanbin looks away, because Jiwon is right. “But still, you would have said no, had I asked you.”   
  
“Outright, yes. But I would have said, let’s go home and talk about it. Let’s go home and devise a plan. It’s not as though she was in danger of being put to death. Please, understand that I am sympathetic. But you’ve started a war, the both of you. And now I'm involved, against my will. How can you not expect me to be angry with you?”   
  
“So what will you do, then?” Hanbin asks, and he waits, afraid of the answer.   
  
But Jiwon lets out a long breath and turns to look at them again. “They’ll know she’s missing, it’s been two days. Even if we do return, Menelaus will see it as a betrayal. He’ll put us all to death. So we’ll take her to Troy, and we’ll let Jiyong decide what to do.”   
  
Hanbin feels a rush of gratitude. “Thank you.”   
  
Jiwon shakes his head, and levels him with a look of intense pain. “You left me with no other choice. And that hurts.”   
  
Hanbin watches him go, wants to follow him, to beg forgiveness and plead for this to not come between them. But he understands Jiwon’s feelings, and regardless of how much he loves him, he has to choose Hayi. Jiwon will never understand that bond, because he's not a twin.   
  
“I didn’t know you were lovers,” Hayi says, looking at him with a guilty expression.   
  
“I didn’t tell you.”   
  
“I wish you had,” she says, “I don’t want this to come between you.”   
  
Hanbin reaches out and pulls her into his arms. “This was my doing, you have nothing to apologize for. You’ve suffered too much to feel guilty over any of this.”   
  
“Even so, he’s right. Menelaus will come for me, and he won't stop.”   
  
“We could leave, when we get to Troy. Just the two of us, we could leave. I’m highly skilled with the bow, I have a horse, that’s all we’d need. We wouldn’t go hungry.”   
  
Hayi smiles and shakes her head. “No. If we leave then Menelaus will only rampage across the country until he finds me. I won’t entertain the thought. And I won’t separate you from your lover.”   
  
He’s grateful for her words, but even so, he’s duty-bound to put her first. “I will do anything for you, Hayi. Absolutely anything.”   
  
“I know,” she replies back with a smile, “but do this one thing for me.”   
  
“What?” he asks.   
  
“Make peace with Jiwon. I can see it, in both of your eyes when you look at each other. Don’t give up on that love, not for me. I know what it’s like to be forced into a loveless union. Protect what you have. Please.”   
  
He buries his face in her hair, because he doesn’t want to lose either of them, but how can he protect both of them from the decisions he’s made?   


* * *

  
The night before they’re set to land in Troy, Hanbin finds himself at the side of the ship, leaning against the rails and peering into the silent water below, contemplating his choices. Jiwon hasn’t spoken to him since the reveal, and it’s tearing him apart. Every time they come to be in the same area, Jiwon finds a reason to leave without looking at him. But he respects his decision to keep his distance, and he doesn’t go searching for him. The past night was the first night in five years that they had slept in the same general vicinity, but not in the same bed. The heartache feels suffocating.   
  
They’ll have to speak before they make land, which will be sometime the following day. They’ll have to make decisions. They’ve kept Hayi from the others, but tomorrow they will have to decide if they will reveal her or keep her hidden.   
  
He’s alone in the moonlight, the rest of the crew asleep, minus the two men on guard at either end of the ship. Hanbin stands in the middle, and that’s how he feels currently, tugged between two different points. His sister, and his lover. How can he exist between the two of them?   
  
He senses a sudden presence behind him, and immediately he knows it’s Jiwon, can feel it in the air around them. He tenses and waits, unsure how this discussion will go.   
  
Jiwon unexpectedly leans against him, wrapping arms around him from behind, pressing his nose into the side of his neck. “I’m sorry I’ve kept my distance,” Jiwon says by way of greeting.   
  
“You’re not the one who should be apologizing,” Hanbin replies, but the tension leaves his body and he relaxes in Jiwon’s arms, hands coming up to rest on Jiwon’s forearms.   
  
“I wish you’d consulted me, but I understand why you didn’t. I was wrong to expect you to put me before your sister,” Jiwon says, and kisses his neck softly. “You’ve felt like half a person for sixteen years, you’re right to want to protect being whole again.”   
  
“I love you,” Hanbin admits in response, leaning his head against Jiwon’s, “I feel complete next to you during my waking hours.”   
  
“But it’s not enough to guard you during your sleep. I know, I understand.”   
  
Hanbin feels somewhat at peace again, grateful to the Gods for granting him Jiwon. “I’m sorry to have put you in this position. I was wrong to expect you to follow my whims without censure. That was selfish of me. You deserve better from someone who loves you.”   
  
“I forgive you,” Jiwon says, before pressing a kiss into his neck. He’s been thinking about it for the past day, and despite still being angry he’s settled on his course, and if he’s bringing Hayi back, then it means that she’s going to be a part of his life, because Hanbin is a part of his life. He’s unwilling to give up on him over this, so if he wants to be happy, then he’s going to have to make amends and forgive him for the treachery.   
  
“Do you really?” Hanbin asks, in disbelief. He doesn’t deserve quick forgiveness, not before they even hear the will of their kingdom.   
  
“Yes, I do. You’ve made your choice, and I’ve made mine. There’s no sense in either of us holding anything against one another now. We're stronger when united, that's always been true of our people. If I leave you now, I leave half of _my_ soul. I’m not willing to do that.”   
  
Hanbin shifts around until he’s facing him, and they kiss softly, arms held tightly around each other. Hanbin pulls back to look into his eyes, and places a hand against his cheek. “I don’t deserve you.”   
  
Jiwon grins back at him. “No, you really don’t.” They laugh together, the tension of the past few days melting away in the face of their newly stated devotion. Whatever comes will come, and they will face it united, and together.


	2. Abduction at the Gates

One week has passed since a fleet of Greek warships landed on the shores of Troy, led by the Spartan King Menelaus, and his older brother, Agamemnon, King of Mycenae and ruler of Greece. As expected they came in pursuit of the Spartan Queen, rode up to the gates of Troy and demanded her return.  
  
But Kwon Jiyong, current ruler of the Trojan kingdom, has steadfastly refused to give up her up, recognizing her as his cousin. In retaliation the Greeks have surrounded the city, burning farms, looting estates, desecrating the land. But the fortressed city stands strong, and has the necessary stockpiles of food to hold out against the siege.   
  
They fight with the Greeks during the day and pause at night, collecting their dead and performing burial rites. But on this particular morning, the Greeks came with a different plan, they came with a request.   
  
They proposed to pit a battle for Hayi, Thalassa to the Greeks, with her hand at stake. If the Greeks win, she returns with Menelaus. If the Trojans win, she remains with her people. With victory comes an end to their battles, an end to the bloodshed.   
  
A group assembles in the King’s chambers to discuss the possibilities of the Greek’s proposal.   
  
“I want to accept,” Hanbin states clearly, ignores the cries behind him and stands face to face before Jiyong. “This is my responsibility, I should be the one to fight him.”   
  
“That’s a stupid decision,” Dong Youngbae, commander of the entire army of Troy, forcefully states. “Your strength is with the bow, not the blade. He’s more than twice your size, I don’t like your chances.”   
  
“It doesn’t matter how big he is,” Hanbin retorts, “a sharp blade will cut through any man’s neck, regardless of size.”   
  
Youngbae shakes his head and looks back at Jiwon. “Talk some sense into your man,” he demands, “since he’s intent on disregarding the instruction of his commander, maybe he might listen to his lover.”   
  
Hanbin glares back at him, arms crossed over his chest. “No one will change my mind,” he replies, “this situation is my responsibility, I made the choice to bring her back, a choice I’d make again if I had to. If either my victory or my death can bring an end to the fighting, then I’m willing to answer the challenge.”   
  
Jiyong stares hard at his cousin, the youngest of his captains. He’s always had a soft spot for Hanbin, even before Hayi’s abduction. But his cousin has grown into a formidable soldier, and he’s right in stating that the battle is his responsibility. “You always have been annoyingly stubborn, ever since you were a child,” he says, eyes on Hanbin, “but I can’t disagree with you. This is your responsibility, and if you want to fight for your sister, then so be it.”   
  
“You can’t be serious?” Youngbae replies, shaking his head at them and looking around the room at the others. “Even if you manage to beat him, we’d be stupid to believe that the Greeks will actually leave. They didn’t come all this way to go home empty-handed.”   
  
Hanbin turns to face him. “You know I have to do this,” he replies, “my men will never respect me if I let someone else fight the battle that I started. What good is a captain without the respect of his soldiers?”   
  
“Better a disrespected captain than a dead one,” Youngbae retorts. “I can strip you of your rank if need be, but that won’t strip away your ability as an archer. I need you, Hanbin. Your skill is too great to be wasted on a rash decision to assuage your pride!”   
  
“I said it was his decision,” Jiyong calmly intercepts, his eyes on Youngbae, “cease your complaints and get a group together to ride out with him. Regardless of the outcome, I expect this to be a bloody mess.”   
  
Youngbae frowns but turns to leave the room, and Jiwon quietly follows him, unable to bring himself to say anything to Hanbin. That leaves the two of them alone, and Jiyong stands before his cousin, his expression somber. “Cousin,” he addresses him, and he reaches out to lay a hand on Hanbin’s arm, “I pray we’re making the right decision.”   
  
Hanbin doesn’t answer, instead his mind can’t help but focus on the question he’s been dying to ask Jiyong ever since they’ve gotten back. But he’s never had him alone until now, and he can’t waste his chance, even if now isn’t the time for it.   
  
“Did you know the truth, about what happened to Hayi?” He asks softly, and studies Jiyong’s expression. His cousin is well practiced in the art of schooling his features, though. It’s hard to discern when he’s lying and when he’s telling the truth.   
  
“I swear to you, I knew nothing,” Jiyong replies, “I can’t speak for my parents, of course, and with them both dead we’ll never know. But I swear to you, the only story I ever heard was the one we both know.”   
  
“Do you remember me telling a different story? Do you remember when we first returned? What was I saying?”   
  
Jiyong sighs and squeezes Hanbin’s arm. “Honestly, you didn’t speak much when you came back. I don’t know if you spoke at all for that first month, I tried to talk to you about it, but nothing. Your parents were adamant in explaining it away as shifting tides of the Aegean Sea. There was never even a question of foul play.”   
  
Hanbin nods, and for now he’s going to choose to trust his cousin. But Jiyong was only eighteen at the time, so it’s likely that if anything had been going on, he wouldn’t have known about it anyway. “I’m sorry, I hope you don’t consider it rude of me to ask.”   
  
“Of course not,” Jiyong replies, “I understand your suspicion. But I also wanted to promise that no matter the outcome today, I’ll do everything in my power to keep her safe. She won’t go back to Greece.”   
  
“Thank you, cousin,” Hanbin replies, and they share a quick embrace. Jiyong kisses both of his cheeks before catching his eye.   
  
“I’m proud of the man you’ve become,” Jiyong whispers in his ear, “you’ve had a difficult path all these years. Let today be a day when you’re blessed by the light of Apollo, that he sees your victory.”   
  
Hanbin bows to him, grateful for the King’s favourable words. “Thank you. I plan to return in victory, that I continue to fight for our people in your name.”   
  
Jiyong reaches out to touch his cheek, smiling softly.   
  
“Then go, cousin, and slay me some Greeks.”   


* * *

  
Golden rays of sunlight shine upon the battlefield, as though Apollo himself had blessed the land, pleased with the sacrifices done in his name. Jiwon raises his hand to his chin, scratching at the skin, itching to take off his helmet and wipe at the sweat on his brow. Distractions always arise during the waiting period, things he doesn’t think about when he’s face to face with the enemy, blades at each other’s throats.   
  
He looks next to him, focusing on the man who’s sitting astride his horse. Clearing his throat, Jiwon finally speaks his peace, after keeping quiet through the morning.   
  
“Are you sure you have to do this?” He asks, and he feels bad for asking the second Hanbin looks at him. “Youngbae is right, you know. Whether you win or lose, the Greeks won’t leave without her. They didn't come a long way just to go home with nothing. If you really want to kill Menelaus, shoot him through with an arrow from above. You don’t need to face him in combat.”   
  
Hanbin smiles at him, reaching out to take his hand. “I haven’t changed my mind. I understand why you’re trying to talk me out of it, but I’ve made my decision. This decision has been my own from the start and I won’t let anyone else face the consequences, not even you, our strongest fighter. The victory would be hollow, because it wouldn’t be mine.”   
  
Jiwon squeezes his hand, his thumb rubbing over the back of it. “I understand that, and I respect you for taking responsibility. But I’m still afraid.”   
  
“Don’t say that,” Hanbin asks, “if I go into this thinking that you of all people expect me to die, then how can I possibly win?”   
  
Jiwon sighs and brings Hanbin’s hand up to his mouth, kissing the skin. “Forgive me,” he says softly, “I’m putting my own needs ahead of yours. I should be talking you up in preparation.”   
  
Hanbin smiles back at him. “That’s only fair behaviour, really. I acted out of my own interests to begin with. I do appreciate your concern for me, I always do. You're the better swordsman between us, but that doesn’t mean that my own skills are grossly lacking.”   
  
“No, of course not,” Jiwon replies, “just remember our advice about the fight. This is your battle, and we all fight it with you.” He meets his eyes again, forces a smile for him. “Make us all proud, love.”   
  
Hanbin appreciates the words, knows that this is a difficult situation for Jiwon to let go of. “Thank you. I leave my heart with you while I fight, guard it well.” He squeezes Jiwon’s hand before dismounting from his horse.   
  
“You’d better return to claim it,” Jiwon calls to him, and Hanbin looks back at him with a fond smile before walking forward to face the Spartan.   
  
Menelaus is imposing in all his bulk, an ugly sneer on his face. “What business have you in answering my challenge? I asked to duel a strong warrior, I’d find a better match against your horse than I will with you!” He points his sword at Hanbin and continues to advance. “End this now, young captain, by giving back to me that which you stole!”   
  
“She’s not property to be freely traded,” Hanbin states, hand on his own sword, “she’s made her decision to stay with her people, where she belongs.”   
  
Menelaus’s face creases in added fury. “She belongs with me, the Gods themselves blessed the union! One last chance, Hanbin of Troy. Spare your loved ones the pain of watching you fall in battle! You know you cannot defeat me.”   
  
Hanbin withdraws his sword, fingers flexing around the hilt. “You underestimate me, Menelaus. I’ll take your life, the same way I took back my sister!”   
  
“Your arrogance does not sit well upon your shoulders, young captain! You will die in regret of your words and actions!” Menelaus advances swiftly, eyes ablaze with fury, attempting to intimidate his smaller opponent with appearance alone. But Hanbin stands his ground and does not flinch, eyes locked on the king.   
  
Menelaus lunges at him without warning, hoping a display of brute force will get the reaction he desires. But Hanbin sidesteps the wild swings, his posture confident. He remembers the advice of earlier: _let him chase you, he’ll try to intimidate you with wild swings, but he’ll tire soon from the theatrics, and that’s what you have to watch for, any opening you can take._ So he heeds the advice and circles Menelaus, watching his moves, learning his patterns, predicting his movement. He needs to find a spot to hit that will offer him the best means of escape.   
  
He lunges quickly, swinging his sword at the King’s momentarily unprotected side, but Menelaus blocks the hit and Hanbin retreats, pleased when Menelaus gives easy chase. Hanbin lets him get close enough to swing before he rolls to the side and gets back to his feet, retreating in the opposite direction. Menelaus charges his again, head down like a bull.   
  
Hanbin plays the matador, engages the animal instinct and entices him with attempted strikes to keep him angry. On one occasion he manages to knick Menelaus in the back of the knee, a cut that enrages the king. Blood drips down the back of his leg. It’s not a deep cut, but it’s enough to keep his anger focused. Hanbin doesn’t want him to start thinking strategically.   
  
He continues the dance, gets in close enough and strikes, then dives away to lure him into a brief chase. Menelaus is never quick enough to catch him, never anticipates which way he rolls away from him. And so the plan works, and eventually Hanbin notices that he’s not so quick to raise his sword, and his breathing has become heavier. He feels renewed with a fresh sense of confidence. His plan is working. He can sense victory already.   
  
Menelaus charges him again, sword raised and ready to swing, and Hanbin, who has watched him and knows his pattern by now, ducks in the direction of the swing, barely evading the blade, but he sees the open path now that he’s in close, and he drives his sword up into the king’s side, plunges it in deep. The howl of outrage from Menelaus sets his soul alight, and he gets back to his feet as the king stumbles backwards towards his men. Hanbin would follow to finish him off, but he does not trust the Greeks.   
  
He’s right in his distrust. Seconds later Menelaus is among his men and shouts the order to attack, and Hanbin rushes back to his horse, but feels the elation of victory.   
  
He faced the Spartan King, and he drove him behind his lines. Apollo has blessed him. 

* * *

  
Jiwon watches the fight with rapt attention, feeling every swing of the blade, intensely captivated by the duck and run tactics. He can sense Hanbin’s victory right when he goes for it, anticipates Hanbin’s movements in a way that Menelaus was not able to. But he also sees the Greeks barely held back, sees the way they wait to advance, and he keeps his eyes on Agamemnon in the back, nervous at his continued discussions with Ajax, the massive King of Salamis.   
  
So he’s ready when Menelaus gives the call for battle, and he holds the reins of Hanbin’s horse until he makes it back to them, shooting him a quick proud smile, grateful to the Gods for Hanbin coming out of the fight unscathed. But seconds later they are swarmed with angry Greeks intent on their death, and he braces himself on his mount, sword gripped in his right hand, shield on his left arm. His horse greets the first man with a kick in the face, while Jiwon’s sword meets those that follow, and he cleaves a line through the masses. A volley of arrows rain down on the advancing Greeks from above, as their archers fire from the walls.   
  
He sees Hanbin out of the corner of his eye, still on his horse, his sword swinging. He feels relieved at the visual but he can’t allow himself to be distracted by it. Hanbin is a capable swordsman, and an even more capable horseman. He’ll be fine.   
  
Jiwon faces two Greek soldiers who attack not only him but also his horse. He reaches one of them with his sword, a timely gash to the back of his neck after the soldier’s helmet is knocked askew by his horse. He deflects the next blow of the other soldier with his shield, before plunging his sword down into the man’s shoulder, scraping bone.   
  
This is not the first battle they’ve waged on this field since they settled here over two centuries ago. It’s a wonder the grass does not grow red here, for the amount of blood the earth has swallowed. Just as he’s readying himself to meet another rush of soldiers he hears a loud yell that steals his attention.   
  
_“Hanbin! Behind you!”_   
  
His breath catches in his throat as he sees Ajax smash his maul down into the rear flank of Hanbin’s horse, toppling the beast, and Jiwon tries to manoeuver through the crowd to get to him, but throngs of soldiers block his path.   
  
Hanbin hears the warning but is already parrying blows from the front, unable to shift his focus. Seconds later he hears the anguished high-pitched squeal of his horse, a sound he’s never heard his trusted steed make before, and the animal goes down immediately, its rear flank crushed under the weight of the giant’s swing. Hanbin topples over the side and hastily extracts his leg from the stirrups so he’s not caught under the animal.   
  
He kneels on the ground next to his horse, fury running through his veins at the attack. He’s had the same horse for the past six years, his trusted companion through all of his military campaigns, through every pleasure ride, every race. He can’t afford to be struck by grief for the animal, but he is, and when he looks behind him to finally see the man responsible his heart seems to stop in his chest.   
  
Ajax. The sheer size of him is daunting, half beast, half man, almost. But to Hanbin’s surprise he hears the command yelled out to the surrounding soldiers.   
  
_Do not harm the captain._   
  
He stabs his sword at the exposed patch of skin on the inside of Ajax’s leg, but it doesn’t stop the Salaminian, who kicks Hanbin’s sword arm with his other leg, momentarily jangling his nerves so bad that his fingers release their hold on his weapon. Ajax reaches down and grabs him, bashes his arm into the side of Hanbin’s head, and his skull rattles against his helmet at the force. Ajax hefts him up over his shoulder and retreats through the opening of Greeks, weaving his way behind the lines, where Menelaus stands with his brother.   
  
Ajax deposits Hanbin at their feet, and Agamemnon himself pulls him up, a knife held to his throat, and they stand high enough to be seen above the others locked in battle. Agamemnon’s eyes are trained high on the wall, where Jiyong stands next to Youngbae, the King and General, watching over their troops.   
  
“Call your men back, Jiyong!” Agamemnon yells loudly, his booming voice carries up to them. “Call them back or I cut his throat!”   
  
The Greeks all begin to withdraw backwards towards their Kings, fanning out in a circular pattern. The Trojans withdraw towards the city’s walls, both armies waiting for the shouted commands of their leaders. All eyes are on Agamemnon, leader of the Greek armies.   
  
“I demand an end to the battle, one my brother was wrong not to honour!”   
  
Jiyong fumes at the message, standing with his arms crossed.   
  
“I see their angle,” Youngbae says next to him, “it’s clear to them that they won’t break our lines, and far more dead Greeks line the ground. They know they can’t break us.”   
  
“Yes, you’re correct,” Jiyong replies, “he knows that we’ll crush his forces if this continues.”   
  
“Call your men back inside,” Agamemnon shouts, “and allow us to make for our ships. If you do not comply, I will slit your cousin’s throat, and his corpse will be brought back to Sparta, to be desecrated at the hands of my brother, so that he may not live on in peace in the afterlife!”   
  
“And what of him if I comply?” Jiyong finally calls back, not trusting the Greeks, but currently with no other choice.   
  
“He will accompany us to the ships, and only after every ship has sailed will he be thrown overboard, where he can swim back to the safety of the shore, should he have the strength left in him. What say you, Jiyong? Is the life of your cousin worth this battle? Will you forsake him to an afterlife spent wandering, haunted?” Agamemnon pushes the blade closer to Hanbin’s throat, piercing the skin.   
  
Jiwon turns to stare up at the figures on the wall, unsure what he’d do if Jiyong refuses. They have the Greeks at their mercy, they all know it. The Gods have blessed them today. If Jiyong throws Hanbin’s life away they could very well beat the Greeks by force. It’s a pity, for it's been a strong partnership and had promise of even better trades to come.   
  
Jiyong runs through the possibilities in his head. If he refuses and continues the battle, he’s confident they will drive the Greeks off by force alone. It would send a message to surrounding leaders, that once again his city is blessed with the Gods’ favour. But if he agrees to the terms, he will lose the advantage, and will live in the shadow of potential warfare. He will also mark Hanbin as a weakness to be exploited against him.   
  
“Please, cousin, I beg of you, don’t doom him to the Greeks!” Hayi bursts forth, throwing herself at his feet. “If he dies I'll throw myself off this wall, and everything will have been for nothing!”   
  
Jiyong doesn’t look at Youngbae, because he knows his general will disagree with his decision. But as the King, it is his decision to make, and he’s confident that it is a decision that will haunt the rest of his reign. “Open the gates,” he yells to the guards, and a horn blows to signal retreat back into the fortress.   
  
Soon only Jiwon remains on the field of battle, astride his horse. “Let me to ride to the shore so that I can be there when you release him, Agamemnon. You have my word, there will be no problem. I don’t want to see any harm done to him.”   
  
Agamemnon regards him sternly before nodding. “Very well, you may follow, but stay back until we have left. I wish only to secure an end to what was a foolish war, one in which we severely underestimated the strength of your people. I will advise my brother to reflect on his choices in the future, and to better protect that which requires protecting. This should have been handled differently, and for that I apologize.”   
  
Jiwon knows it’s only for show, knows that Agamemnon says the words knowing that he’ll repeat them to Jiyong. But he nods and remains back, watches as the Greeks collect their dead and make for their ships.   
  
Three hours later, only one Greek ship remains near land, and Jiwon’s eyes haven’t left it. Menelaus directs his men on board, and Hanbin stands on the very edge, held up by one of the guards. Jiwon’s been watching him, can see how he seems likely to fall over if left alone. He must be injured, possibly to the head, when Ajax seized him.   
  
He waits until they finish with their preparations before dismounting from his horse and walking closer to the water. Menelaus stands beside Hanbin and the guard, and Jiwon waits in anticipation, nervous about reaching Hanbin in time should they push him overboard. Hopes he won’t just sink in all his armour.   
  
“Jiwon, illustrious General of the Trojan army, beloved public figure to your people,” Menelaus speaks with a slight snarl, and it raises Jiwon’s hackles. “My brother gave you his word that when my ship was upon the water, I would release my prisoner.” Menelaus dismisses the guard and places his arm around Hanbin’s shoulders, steadying him on his feet. “I rescind his offer. Upon closer inspection of the young captain, I find him quite pleasing to my eye, in much the same way my wife was pleasing. I have decided that as punishment for stealing Thalassa from me, I will punish Troy by stealing her youngest captain!”   
  
Jiwon can’t believe his words, staring up at him in shock. He knew they’d been wrong to trust the Greeks. He knew it!   
  
“If I see any Trojan ships follow us on our return home, I promise you that I will kill him with my own hands, and send his desecrated body into the sea as a sacrifice to the Gods! But neither of us really want that, do we?”   
  
He’s frozen in shock, outraged at the betrayal. But he heeds the words, trusts Menelaus to act on them. And he is only one man, against a ship of at least fifty. They would both die if he attempted to board. Instead he watches as Menelaus leads Hanbin away from the side of the ship, his heart beating wildly in his chest.   
  
He has to follow them. He can’t leave Hanbin to the whims of the Spartan King, not after what he’s done! But they have to act strategically, they have to heed the warnings. So he mounts his horse and races back to the city, trying to keep his rage from surfacing. The most important thing right now is to relay the information to someone who can make a decision quickly. He can’t trust himself to act rationally at the moment.   


* * *

  
It’s difficult not to react to the words he hears out of Menelaus’ mouth, standing there on the side of the ship, eyes squinting against the sun, trying to catch a last glimpse of Jiwon. If it weren’t for the intense pounding in his head he’d try to escape from the Spartan’s grasp and jump overboard, but ever since he’d been knocked around by Ajax, Hanbin’s been feeling out of sorts. He’s been feeling unbalanced on his feet, but the worst started an hour ago, an intense headache hitting him, made worse by standing under the harsh sun.   
  
He feels nauseous now, feels like he needs to lie down and bury himself under blankets. Anything to make the pounding stop. The words hit him hard, the promise of a dangerous future under captivity. In the brief time they’d been reunited, Hayi hadn’t quite divulged all the habits of her husband, but she’d said enough for Hanbin to know that he was anything but kind.   
  
He’s pulled down a set of stairs, narrow and steep, that descend into the belly of the ship. At least it’s dark. He’s slammed into the wall, Menelaus’ hands tight around his arms, the sneering face in front of him.   
  
“I would advise you to obey any command I give you, little captain,” he speaks the title in a mocking tone, “you are completely at my mercy. Apollo may have been on your side earlier, but I dare say that he has deserted you now.” Menelaus lets him go and Hanbin slides down to the floor, feeling sick to his stomach.   
  
“When we return to Sparta you will be my slave, my exclusive property. You will worship me as your new God, or you will suffer the consequences.”   
  
Even with his pounding head Hanbin can’t leave the comment alone, peering up at the Spartan from the floor. “You are no God, you’re barely fit to be King.” A boot to the face silences him, and he brings his hands up to his jaw, feeling around with his fingers in order to try and distract himself from the blossom of fresh pain.   
  
“I suppose I should take liberties not to damage your face, I don’t want to spoil your pretty features,” Menelaus snarls threateningly, “but keep speaking to me disrespectfully and I will damage other parts of you. Do you want that, little captain? Do you want to be damaged?”   
  
Hanbin sees white behind his closed eyelids, the headache pounding against his skull. He can barely hear Menelaus over it. But that doesn’t deter the Spartan King.   
  
“What a pretty thing you are, fine structure just like your cousin, a weak excuse for a King. Perhaps I’ll have them make you a wig, and I can parade you around as my new wife!” Menelaus jeers, fingers crushing against Hanbin’s jaw, twisting his head side to side. “What good are women, really? Weak creatures, unbefitting my company. I will have you instead, I will break you until you suit my needs.”   
  
Menelaus grabs his arm and yanks him up off the floor, pushing him back against the wall, pushing up against him. “I will have you bowing before me within days, little captain. Fight me all you want, it will make your eventual obedience all the more delicious to taste.” He shoves him back into the corner again, laughing as he watches Hanbin stumble and sink back to the floor.   
  
“I must see to my men. I suggest you make yourself comfortable, for once we reach my homeland you will no longer have the respect of your title. You will be worthless, no one, entirely at my whim and disposal.” Menelaus leaves the room and shuts the wooden door, locking it.   
  
Hanbin’s in too much pain to study his surroundings, so he lies on the floor, arms flung over his head, trying not to throw up for the pain. He distracts himself with thoughts of home, wonders if Jiwon has made it back to the city, wonders if they are discussing the situation.   
  
Jiyong was willing to save his life once, but Hanbin doubts that he will move in his action a second time. Jiwon will try to persuade him, as will Hayi, but his first duty must come to his people and his land, and Hanbin himself is already responsible for the loss of so many of them. How could he possibly put the city at risk again for his cousin?   
  
He is likely alone, will have to figure his own way out of this mess, provided he can. He can’t hope to be saved a second time, especially when he doesn’t even deserve it.


	3. Of New Sisters and Old Cousins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will occasionally be flashback scenes in the story, they'll always be in italics and always written in past tense.

Jiwon stands alone on his balcony, eyes locked on the blazing fire on the horizon, the glaring orange of the setting sun. He lives in the eastern wing of the palace, his own private suite among the other military commanders, across the hall from Hanbin’s suite. Hanbin’s view is of the mountains, while Jiwon’s is of the courtyard, where he can stand and watch his men train. They’re gathered there now, cleaning weapons, repairing armour, testing the limits of injuries, while mourning the loss of those who fell in battle.  
  
He wonders if any of them mourn for Hanbin? Are they enraged at his capture, or do they blame him for failing to crush the attempted invasion, and believe that fate has repaid him for what he’s brought upon his own people?  
  
Jiwon hasn’t spoken with his men yet since returning from the beach alone. He’s met since then with a small group, Jiyong and Youngbae and a few of the other commanders, to discuss options. He’d been prepared to withdraw his military command and post had Jiyong not agreed to go after Hanbin, but to his surprise, the King readily agreed that they couldn’t leave his cousin to the whims of Menelaus.  
  
They spent two hours discussing plans, thinking through the best course of action. They’ve come to the decision that Jiwon will lead a small group of soldiers on an infiltration mission, to head back into the city and find a way to bring Hanbin back. Jiwon’s grateful they’ve all agreed on this course of action, but the difficult part has come now. Who will go with him?  
  
How can he justify danger to his men, or even to himself? Had it not been for Hanbin’s hastily made decision, they wouldn’t be in this situation. Does he even truly deserve to be saved after what he’s done to their people? Or is this a punishment from the Gods themselves?  
  
There was a line of thought during the meeting that he hesitates to recall, feeling uncomfortable at the thought of it. What if, all those years ago, Hayi herself had been intended as a sacrifice to the Gods? What if she really had been chosen by Thalassa, what if she had been given up as a means to secure favour on their kingdom? What if, by secreting her away, they’d angered the Gods?  
  
He’s never bought into the idea of wrathful Gods, doesn’t like to believe that the deities he worships would demand such sacrifices. But what if they do? What if they anger them further by going back to Sparta and bringing Hanbin home?  
  
How can he ask anyone to accompany him on a mission that might lead to death? What if they all die in Greece, and are not granted burial rites? Then he will doom them all to an eternal afterlife spent wandering in seek of peace that will never come.  
  
His thoughts are interrupted by the soft shuffle of footsteps behind him and he glances over his shoulder, his eyes meeting those of Hayi, who stares at him with a heavy expression that reminds him of Hanbin.  
  
“Jiwon, I’ve been looking for you,” she says as she approaches him, guilt creasing her features, “I’ve come to apologize.”  
  
He stands aside to make room for her to join him at the balustrade. “You have nothing to apologize for.”  
  
She stands next to him, fingers trailing over the granite, her eyes cast down below at the men gathered together. “I beg to differ,” she begins, “When I saw my brother again I felt as though a veil had been lifted from my eyes. I felt alive, for the first time in a very long time. I paid no thought to the consequences, I only wanted escape, and to be next to him again. But I should have known better, I know my husband, I know his will.”  
  
“You were unhappy. You were in Greece against your will, had been since you were a child. You’re not wrong for wanting to flee.” It’s difficult to voice the words, it would be much easier to pin all his rage on her shoulders, she who is so willing to accept the blame. But Hanbin would hate him for doing it.  
  
She shakes her head. “I knew Menelaus would not let me go so easily. But I put my own needs ahead of an entire kingdom, a kingdom of my own people. And now my brother alone pays the price for my transgressions, and Troy has lost soldiers instead of gaining a strong ally.” She crosses her arms over her chest, fingers tight on her own skin, and finally she looks up at him. “How can I not apologize for that?”  
  
Jiwon isn’t sure what to say in response. Apologies won’t help anyone now, they won’t lessen the abuse Hanbin is likely to suffer. But apologizing is a part of human nature, and he knows that she must be hurting. “Alright then, I accept your apology. But I stand by my sentiment,” he turns to face her, and her gaze reminds him so much of Hanbin that it’s difficult to look at her, “you would not have been so quick to leave if you hadn’t been so unhappy. Accept your part in the blame, but blame also lies on the shoulders of your husband.”  
  
“That’s true,” she concedes, “even so, while he was something of a monster, my life was never at risk. I could have waited, like you said on the boat. We could have figured something out, we could have planned. Instead I chose to run at the first opportunity, putting countless lives at stake.” She stops there, but he gets the distinct impression that she wants to say more. He watches her, takes in her entire demeanour, and it’s like seeing a mirror reflection of Hanbin. Their mannerisms are the same, their patterns of speech are the same.  
  
“I am sorry to you most of all,” she says quietly, lowering her eyes from him, “you wear your feelings for my brother on your very skin, like a cloak, and now he’s lost to you, yet you remain saddled with me.”  
  
His reply is immediate, and despite his misgivings towards her part in what has transpired, he means what he says to her. “You’re no burden to me,” he begins, reaching out to lay a hand on her arm, “the way I see it, you’re my sister now too. I won’t let him rot at the hands of the Greeks, I promise you that. It is my intention to go to Sparta and claim back that which is mine.”  
  
“That which is yours?” Hayi parrots back at him with a curious expression, and Jiwon grins sheepishly at her censure.  
  
“Ours?” He amends, and he smiles when it makes her laugh. It’s the first time since meeting her that he’s seen her laugh, and he’s struck by her beauty. There are many similarities between them, and they both have smiles that make his heart stop.  
  
She looks at him again and meets his eyes, her expression soft. “Thank you for your kindness, Jiwon,” she says, “you offer me a welcome I did not expect after all that has happened.”  
  
He smiles back at her, his hand rising from her arm to her cheek. “I see him in you,” he replies honestly, “despite being separated all these years, your mannerisms are the same, and I believe there’s a similarity in the way you both think. How could I possibly turn you away when you’re so important to the man I love?”  
  
She doesn’t say anything in response and he brushes a tear from her cheek before pulling her closer, his arm tight around her shoulders as they stand together and watch the end of the sunset. He meant his words earlier—they’re family now, and he’ll do everything in his power to make sure that she knows that.  


* * *

  
Hanbin sits on the edge of the bunk, feet flat on the wooden floorboards, eyes squinting into the darkness, his breaths slow and deep. He counts slowly in his head, tries to combat the angry pounding inside his skull. The queasiness has subsided a little now that he’s out of the sun and off his feet. He’s been left alone so far on their journey, a small gift he’s grateful for. He doesn’t know where Menelaus is or what he’s doing, and he hopes that he’ll keep doing it from far away. He knows that retribution will come for him eventually, both for Hayi and for the humiliation he caused the Spartan King on the field of battle.  
  
His thoughts turn to home, to his loved ones. How cruel are the Fates to reunite him with his sister, only to rip them apart days later? But at least she’s safe now, back where she belongs. He’d suffer a thousand deaths to protect her from only one. He’s willing to make that sacrifice.  
  
He thinks about Jiwon and his heart aches. Will Jiwon consider him lost, or will he fight for the opportunity to try and rescue him? He’s certain that Jiwon will want to come for him, but at the same time he also knows that Jiwon has a duty to the kingdom and to the people. He also doesn’t know if Jiyong will even let anyone come after him. He conceded to the Greeks once in an effort to secure Hanbin’s safety, and he doubts his cousin will do it a second time. He doesn’t blame Jiyong. He brought war to Troy, after all. With war came death.  
  
They lost a number of good soldiers, but his heart rests most heavily upon the loss of his beloved horse, Abrax. The horse had been a gift from his cousin upon his eighteenth birthday, a present to mark his coming of age. Abrax had been sired from Jiyong’s own mount, and it was said that they rode the greatest horses in all the Mediterranean, beasts blessed by Apollo himself with long life and tireless legs.  
  
Abrax had been a trusted companion through his early military years, and on those rare occasions when Hanbin had taken leave into the surrounding fields outside of the city, the only way to find him had been on the back of Aeton, Jiyong’s horse. In much the same way that his cousin had always been able to find him as a child when he’d hidden himself around the castle, so too could Aeton find his favoured child in the free lands.  


__  
"Come, Abrax, and watch your footing!” Hanbin called to his steed, carefully choosing his own footing along the rocky path up into the mountains. He looked back over his shoulder, pleased at the distance he’d put between himself and the city. He was sorely in need of a few days of solitude after the past month. The training had been grueling, more demanding than what he’d faced before it, and life outside of training has been fraught with hardship.  
  
_He wasn’t on speaking terms with his either of his parents at the moment, angry with them for their continued dismissal of his desire to serve as a captain. They wanted him to follow his cousin into a political position, perhaps to work his way into his father’s role as a trades ambassador. But his mind was set on archery and his horse, while his heart…_  
  
_Well. His heart was set on a farm boy that he knew his parents wouldn’t be happy about, but he hadn’t bothered saying anything to them about Jiwon just yet. But Jiwon had left off on a month-long military expedition, and Hanbin hated the separation._  
  
_So he’d decided to take a few days to himself._  
  
_He’d planned to spend them in a nearby valley, one mostly untouched due to its difficult location. He’d brought Jiwon out with him a month ago when they’d had two consecutive days off, and they’d spent their days together hunting, fishing, and laying under the stars, discussing the heavens._  
  
_He led the horse down the narrow slope of the rocky path until they came out to the flat grass of the valley floor, and then to the tree line, where he set his pack down out of the sun and removed Abrax’s saddle, letting the horse roam free to graze the grass. Hanbin stripped out of his clothing and stepped into the shallow river that ran through the valley, submerging himself to clean away the sweat and dirt of the hot day’s travels._  
  
_He thought about Jiwon, about their last night together before he’d departed. Jiwon was only the latest in Hanbin’s long list of sexual partners, but there was something about that rugged farm boy that made everything feel different. Jiwon was surprisingly tender when they were alone, a far cry from Hanbin’s usual partners. With Jiwon there was no posturing, no exaggerations or embellishments. Everything was honest and upfront, and Hanbin appreciated that after a lifetime growing up with scheming merchant families._  
  
_Soon his thoughts were interrupted by the excited whinney of Abrax, and Hanbin scowled up at the sun because he recognized the noise. Abrax only made that call to one horse in particular—Aeton, his sire. Hanbin groaned and submerged his head back under the water. What on earth could Jiyong possibly want from him to follow him all the way out here? He’d earned his days off! He hadn’t told anyone where he’d been going either. Damned horses._  
  
_He sat up, leaning back on his hands as he watched Jiyong come into view. He was surprised that his cousin was alone, having given his usual entourage of bodyguards the slip. That made the breach of solitude less irritating. Jiyong slid from Aeton’s saddle, leaving the horses to properly greet._  
  
_“Afternoon, cousin,” Jiyong called to him in greeting as he approached the riverbed._  
  
_“Do my eyes deceive me, or has the crown prince really come all this way out into the wilderness by himself?” Hanbin teased back._  
  
_“He has,” Jiyong replied, sitting in the grass and dangling his feet into the water. “Don’t ask me how, I won’t reveal my methods.”_  
  
_“I’ll surely perish from the mystery,” Hanbin replied, squinting when Jiyong splashed water at him. “Why are you out here, though?”_  
  
_“I can’t spend time with my favourite cousin?” Jiyong asked, before leaning back on his hands and looking up at the sun._  
  
_“We’re a long way from the city,” Hanbin answered, “not to mention that I neglected to tell anyone that I was leaving. Were you following me from the start?”_  
  
_“I would never do such a thing,” Jiyong replied, “I just asked Aeton to find Abrax and well, here we are.”_  
  
_Hanbin nodded, keeping his eyes on his cousin. “Right, here we are. Out with it then—what are you escaping from?”_  
  
_“My father,” Jiyong replied, shaking his head, “who won’t stop complaining about your father.”_  
  
_“Oh?” Hanbin grinned. “What’s my father saying?”_  
  
_“You know what your father’s saying,” Jiyong retorted, looking back at him, “that he wants my father to refuse you to serve in the military.”_  
  
_“Ah right,” Hanbin wasn’t surprised to hear it, “his usual?”_  
  
_Jiyong nodded. “I’ve already lost my daughter, you would stand by and let me lose my son? I swear the whole palace guards know the speech word for word by now.”_  
  
_Hanbin laughed, amused despite his current state of annoyance with his parents. Let them complain. He knew that he’d proven himself too highly for anyone to let him go from his training. “You know, I could save Troy from the Gods themselves and my father still wouldn’t be happy with my choices.”_  
  
_“Not unless your means of saving Troy was to broker a deal for its safety,” Jiyong said, and they both grinned. “How is the military going for you? I heard you were accepted into the King’s guard?”_  
  
_“I was,” Hanbin replied, “training to lead the cavalry archers, given my skill of horseback and with the bow.”_  
  
_“Truly an honorable position,” Jiyong replied teasingly._  
  
_“I consider it an honour,” Hanbin answered, “It's not my fault if half the soldiers don’t understand the concept of playing to your strengths. Not that I’m a terrible swordsman, but I’m a much better archer.”_  
  
_“Why bother killing a man up close and getting blood on your tunic when you could do it from afar, right?” Jiyong teasingly asked, and Hanbin grinned._  
  
_“Precisely. Self preservation.”_  
  
_“Speaking of swordsmen, I hear you’re quite taken with one in particular.” Jiyong asked, grinning when Hanbin’s lips turned up in a smile._  
  
_“Oh, you’ve heard, have you? Who’s talking about my interest in swordsmen?”_  
  
_Jiyong grinned back at him. “As I said earlier, I won’t reveal my methods. A farmer’s son, though! I must admit, that is quite unexpected.”_  
  
_“I’m in an honourable profession now, I can’t spend all my time chasing merchant’s daughters anymore. Or their sons.” Hanbin replied, earning a laugh from his cousin._  
  
_“Well I heard you’ve chosen well, at least. Hand-selected by Youngbae to accompany him on that northern expedition. How are you coping with the separation?” Jiyong asked it teasingly, but Hanbin got the impression that his cousin could tell that it wasn’t so simple._  
  
_“Why do you think I’m out here?” Hanbin replied, meeting Jiyong’s eyes, and his cousin nodded knowingly._  
  
_“Poor heartbroken soldier, trying to relax and pine for your love in solitude, only to be thwarted by your favourite cousin. Such a pity. So, what are we eating? I’m starving, I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”_  
  
_Hanbin shook his head, not surprised by Jiyong’s request. “You’re honestly unbelievable, I can’t stand the thought of you being King one day,” Hanbin retorted, standing up and shaking the water out of his hair._  
  
_“I will make a great King, you watch your treasonous mouth. Now catch us something to eat before I carve into Abrax’s flank.”_  
  
_Hanbin laughed as he made to retrieve his bow. “Go ahead and try it, see if your own horse doesn’t trample you to death first.” He didn’t bother to redress before heading into the nearby woods to find a spot to watch for a wandering deer. He didn’t even mind the company anymore either. Jiyong had just as many reasons to escape the city as Hanbin did._

  
As he close as he and Jiyong are, he’s spent a lifetime benefitting from his cousin’s favour. He can’t expect it to continue, not when Jiyong has to put the kingdom’s protection first. Just as he’s about to lie down again he hears a noise from outside the room, the approach of heavily booted footsteps. He closes his eyes and prays they will pass, but his prayers go unheard and he opens his eyes again as the door to the room opens, and there in the doorway stands Menelaus.  
  
“My young Trojan captain,” Menelaus greets with a sneer, “enjoying your accommodations?” He watches as the young man meets his eyes, a hard look behind them. It’s a look that won’t last, however.  
  
Hanbin doesn’t answer, doesn’t trust himself to speak well with the pounding in his head. It’s all he can do to stare back without wincing.  
  
“I must admit that I am not altogether displeased with this turn of events,” Menelaus states, “you were interesting to me when you sat at my table and dined on my food. There is a gracefulness among many of your men, I have always enjoyed foreign beauty. Had it not been for my desire to see peace between our nations, I would have taken you then.” He moves closer to Hanbin, his movements tracked by a hard glare. “It would have mattered little to me if you had been interested or not. Your consent is no concern of mine.”  
  
Hanbin isn’t surprised to hear the words, though he wonders if they’re only meant for intimidation, or if the Spartan actually means them?  
  
“Why do you sit before me with nothing to say?” Menelaus asks. “Are you so afraid of me that fear holds your tongue?”  
  
Hanbin knows that Menelaus is only trying to goad him into speaking, but the realization doesn’t keep him from falling into it. He looks up at Menelaus with an expression of minor irritation, like someone complaining about the crowing of a rooster rising them from slumber. “Your words have no effect on me.”  
  
A flash of irritation crosses the face of the Spartan King. “Then perhaps my hand will!” A sharp flash of pain spreads across Hanbin’s face at the impact, the sound of the slap rings in his ears. His vision goes bright white for a second, and he wonders if it’s because of the headache? Wonders if the slap is going to set him back again?  
  
“Do you truly believe your cousin will send for you, when you’ve brought nothing but shame upon your kingdom? For what? A woman? You would risk war between our nations for a woman?” Menelaus yells, his irritation getting the better of him.  
  
“She’s my sister!” Hanbin yells back, surprised at the way his anger cuts through the pain long enough for him to offer the retort. “I’d thought her dead for years!”  
  
“Your sister was dead!” Menelaus returned, “The woman you stole was my wife! My property!”  
  
“She is your wife no longer, and that knowledge will see me through whatever you have planned for me.” Hanbin replies, barely able to keep his eyes open against the pain in his head. It pulses harder with each second that passes.  
  
“Oh young captain of Troy, you have no idea what I have planned for you!” Menelaus says, right hand flying out to catch Hanbin around the neck, “you will both suffer the same fate. You will be my slave, while my wife, your sister, will become nothing more than a whore to be passed around by Troy’s soldiers! You think they would welcome her in your place? When her presence has caused turmoil and death?”  
  
“That will never happen,” Hanbin replies, “my people are no savages.”  
  
Menelaus lets him go with a sudden belt of laughter. “You are amusing to me, Hanbin of Troy. Despite being untrustworthy yourself, you place an awful lot of trust in others. But it matters nothing to me now, what will come of her. You have so graciously taken her place. You are the one who belongs to me now, and you will remain at my side until I tire of you, at which time I will have you killed and fed to my dogs.”  
  
Hanbin manages to remain sitting upright until Menelaus leaves the room, at which point he collapses back onto the bunk, fingers at his temples, digging against his skin to try and quell the source of pain that reverberates around his skull. This is going to become a problem for him, the pain in his head. He needs a clear mind if he’s going to try and plot out some kind of escape, but he’ll never have a moment’s peace to contemplate if he’s caught in the searing pain of his injury.  
  
He doesn’t know how long it will be until they reach Sparta, but he prays fervently for the hurt to recede before they land. It’ll be his only chance, and he can’t lose it to blinding pain. He can’t wait in expectation of being saved. If he’s going to get away, it will have to be by his own hand.


End file.
